The Act: BURNED AS WITCHES

The Release: 'HOLD YOUR NERVE'

The Format: DIGITAL SINGLE

The Release Date: MARCH 11TH 2026

The Truth: 'Hold Your Nerve' is the first single from Burned As Witches, the brainchild of one Rick McMurray, prime time Ash drummer. Taken from the album, also called 'Burned As Witches' and out on April 25th, 'Hold Your Nerve' is kinda stoner rock, but not really stoned, altogether more meaty and beaty and melodic.

"One of the last songs written for the album, this one just tumbled out of my subconscious - I only figured out what it's about as we were making the video," the main man explains. "It's about innocence in the face of a corrupt, venal world. Is it better to take the red pill and see the world as it is, when you feel so helpless to change it, or the blue pill and remain blissfully unaware of a world that exploits you? Musically it's the bastard child of Iommi and Page, bringing some Zep swagger to Sabbath's doom, which somehow manages to conjure an undercurrent of glam."

To summarise: "If you were expecting this to sound like the day job, think again."

Burned As Witches lands in the briefest of interludes from that day job in Ash, who've basically been working non-stop since the releases of 'Race The Night' in 2023 and the current 'Ad Astra' album. As Rick says, if you're expecting some slices of powerpunkpop then think again as 'Burned As Witches' positively drips with riffing heaviosity, big-boned solos and beefy chord crunchings. One clear reason why 'Hold Your Nerve' is the first single off the album is that it's the only one of the eight tracks which comes in under four minutes. This is intense, on all levels.

Burned As Witches started as a way to deal with the untimely passing of Ash's long term live agent, friend and rock'n'roll hellraiser Steve Strange in 2021. Don't however be expecting sunshine in the morning, or songs for the boys of summer because this is something altogether darker. Inspired by The Strange One's love of metal - lest we ever forget, on Steve's posthumous farewell tour at Brixton Academy, Saxon strode out to play '747 (Stranger In The Night)' as a tribute - this record was conceived in mourning and is all about the doom, full of chunky riffs and weighty themes. Rest very much unassured, Burned As Witches is an out and out rock album, as Rick ruminates:

"It started just with me writing some pretty dark riffs after we'd played The Roundhouse on our much postponed anniversary tour. We thought that gig would put the COVID years to bed but it turned into a wake for Strangey. By the time I started putting the music down in demo form I realised I was writing a tribute record to him.

"That was too much to take and the demos went on the hard drive where solo projects go to die. But it kept tugging away at me. After a few months and a few tours I had another listen, which brought an epiphany, in which I heard the words, 'It doesn't have to be about me.' Now I'm not saying Strangey spoke to me from beyond the veil or anything; it was probably my subconscious but whatever, I realised how proud he would have been to have been the inspiration for me.

"Armed with that knowledge I spent the down time between Ash tours and recording sessions figuring out what these dark riffs wanted to say. I won't bore you with the rest of the journey to completion (yet) but hey we got there in the end, eh Steve. I miss you and love you, you mad bastard. We all do."